Brush for a washing machine



Nov. 6, 1934. H. ADELMANN BRUSH FOR A WASHING MACHINE Original Filed May 5, 1951 R O T N E V m Ade A RNEY Patented Nov. 6, 1934 PATENT OFFKIE BRUSH FOR A WASHING MACHINE Hans Adelmann, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Ham Boiler Corporation, Port Chester, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application May 5, 1931, Serial No. 535,110. Divided and this application June 29,

1932, Serial No. 619,846

8 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to scrubbing apparatus; and more particularly to a brush so constructed and contoured as to enable the scrubbing action to eiTectively be applied to the corners'of irregularly shaped containers.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a brush construction whereby containers, such as ham boilers, and other non-rectangularly shaped containers in particular, can be more effectively, and more quickly scrubbed and cleansed than has hitherto been possible.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an arrangement whereby narrowed areas, and particularly corners, can be more readily reached without requiring any unusual effort by the operator.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a brush head of a character in which the tendency of the bristles to spiral or compact is resisted andmore particularly an arrangement whereby any pressure brought against the head of the brush will tend to spread the bristles so as to force them into corners instead of compacting them.

It is a general object of my invention to provide a new and improved brush construction for the purposes set forth. For the attainment of these objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, I have illustrated one embodiment of my-invention in the drawing, wherein- Figure 1 showsa washingapparatus in vertical section, with brushes of my improved construction applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through my improved brush head; and

Figure 3 is a top elevational view thereof.

The brush construction herein claimed is disclosed in my earlier Patent No. 1,971,206, resulting from application Serial No. 535,110, filed May 5, 1931, and of which this is a division.

My improved brushes are shown as employed in connection with the apparatus of Figure l which is fully disclosed in my aforesaid patent and in which brushes 23, 24 are shown as mounted rotatably within the basin 10, suitable driving mechanism being also disclosed.

In Figure 2 of the drawing, I show the detailed structure of a brush head such as forms the subject matter of this application. Each brush head comprises a central core 25 made hollow at its lower end as shown at 22 and provided with a plurality of annular undercut grooves 26 generally horizontal and provided adjacent its head 27 with a plurality of grooves 28 defined by the inclined sides 29 and the substantially horizontal bottom 30.

I have found that for my apparatus, it is advisable to employ a bristle head which is made up partly of stainless steel and partly of a woody substance such as bassine which is the stiff wiry fibre obtained from the sheathing leaf-bases of the palinyra, Borassus flabellifer, because in the first place, the stainless steel will have an abrading action and the woody fiber a species of sweeping action and, secondly, I have found that the resiliency of the bassine component will tend to keep the steel bristles from compacting or spiraling, and will tend to return them to their normal position. In the illustrated embodiment, I have shown my brush head as made up of approximately three quarters stainless steel, and one quarter of bassine. The former is indicated at 39, the latter at 40.

In the manufacture of the brush head of Figures 2 and 3, groups of bristles are doubled over and received at their bend in the grooves 26 as shown in this figure of the drawing. A steel wire 32 caught in the lower end of the core, is spiralled upwardly thereabout to cause the groups of the bristles to be held where they are bent and to have these bends forced into the grooves 26 and retained therein. The wire 32 is held in place by the lower walls of grooves 26 and also by spirally disposed grooves, which may be applied for that purpose to the periphery of core 25. The lower groups of bristles 36 which are received in the generally horizontal grooves will be directed generally in a horizontal plane with a slight upward incline as shown in the drawing. The groups of bristles, however, which are received in the grooves 28 are directed generally upwardly at a much greater incline than those of the groups therebelow, and are dimensioned so as to complete a contour which is more or less generally cylindrical and slightly in the form of a truncated cone.

In the top-most annular groove 29, is received the group of bristles to which the reference charact/er 38 has been applied. These bristles are much shorter than those immediately therebelow. In fact, the bristle length which extends beyond the head 27 is not much greater than that which contacts with the wall 29, and these bristles therefor are relatively more rigid. This construction and arrangement of the bristles and particularly of the bristle group 38 tends to cause the top groupof bristles adjacent thereto to spread outwardly in the event that any pressure is applied thereto.

The brushes are each secured in position by passing the hollow heads 22 thereof over the upwardly extending portions 18 of the brush shafts, and threading a bolt in the opening 22 in the brush head and locking it to the shaft.

With the motor in operation, the brushes will all rotate clockwise, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1 of the drawing, and will cover the major portion of the area of the bottom of a ham boiler 41 or other container to be cleaned, and for a thorough cleansing operation, all that isrequired is a slight jiggling of the ham boiler or other container in a curved path so as-to bring the sides of the brushes in'contact with all the areas of the inner side wall of the boiler and the top surface of the brushes in contact with the inner surface of the bottom of the ham boiler. little pressure, if any, need be applied to the ham boiler in a downward direction, and such pressure as is applied will naturally be developed by the operator during the jiggling operation. Due to the construction of the brush head, and particularly, to the manner in which the upper groups of bristles areflarranged, the'weight of the ham boiler, plus any downward pressure that is applied LtheretQ, will tend to spread the bristles at the :top of the brush so'that the bristles will reach every portionof the corners of the ham boileras it has been attempted to show in Figure 1 of the drawing. This manner of operation of the brushes will be enhanced by centrifugal force which will cause the upper portion of the brush to expand andto reach the corners easily.

7 Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what Ilclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A rotating brush for cleaning ham boilers and the like, having a central core provided with a plurality of substantially annular grooves adapted for receiving bristles, said grooves having :bothof their sides disposed substantially in radial planes, but one of said sides having an inwardly positioned annular undercut groove whereby the inwardly located portions of said grooves are wider than the entrance portions thereof, and whereby a shoulder is formed adjacent the entrance portions adapted to retain bristles when their bight portions are positioned within said widened portions of said grooves.

'2. A brushior cleaning ham boilers or the like, comprising .bristles having their terminal portions arranged to lie in .a substantially cylindrical surface, and bristles having, their terminal portions arranged to form a :base for said cylinder, said base being located a substantial distance below the upper edge of said cylinder, whereby the bristles constituting said upper edge protrude a substantial distance beyond said base in a'direce tion generally axial and willspreadlaterally when the base portion is pressed against a surrace to be scrubbed.

3. A substantially cylindrical brush in which the end portions of the bristles forming an edge portion of the cylindrical contour extend axially and radially outward a substantial distancebeyond the terminal portions of the next adjacent bristles located nearer the axis.

4. A brush of the character described having a core, grooves in said core adapted to receive bristles, and bristles in doubled-over bundles having their bight portions positioned within said grooves, and retained therein solely by retaining members encompassing the outside portions of said bristlesand serving to hold the bight portions thereof within said grooves by holding them in compression between the walls of said groove and .said retaining member.

5. A brush of the character described having a core,*grooves "in said core adapted to receive verse of the: axis of rotation, and a raised portion provided on the outer portion of said last mentioned wall and adapted to retain portions of the bristles within the groove.

- 7. A brush for cleaning ham boilers and the like, said brush comprising a central core and a plurality of bristle groups arranged consecutively to form' a generally cylindrical brush, each group being generally annular and extending outwardly and at an inclination to the core the inclination of the bristles of the various groups decreasing progressively from' oneend of the brush to the other, and the bristles having the least inclination to the core forming a flat surface surrounded byan annular rim and constituting the end of the cylinder. I

8. A brush for cleaning ham boilers and the like, said brush comprising a central core adapted for attacltunent to rotating means at one end, and a plurality of bristle groups arranged in juxtaposition to form a generally cylindrical brush, each group being generally annular and extending outwardly and at an inclination to the core the bristles of the groups at the free end of the brush being disposed more nearly in parallelism with the axis of the core than the groups removed from said free end, and the bristles constituting the free end portions of the brush, being so disposed and proportioned that those farthest from the axis having their tips extend axially a sub- A stantial distance beyond the bristles of the groups located nearer the axis.

- HANS ADELMANN. 

